‘X’ is no longer just the sign-off of an artsy pr; these days, you’ll just as readily find it sandwiched between two brand names to signify a collaboration. Stemming from botany, where ‘x’ is used to separate the parents of a hybrid plant, it was first used in the creative industries in japan in the nineties as a symbol of two artists working together. Now, its use is blooming in fashion, popular culture and with brands. Rarely an hour ticks by without a new collaboration, from miniature capsule collections to more comprehensive, long-term partnerships. Once, these kinds of activations were occasional; now, they’re just as frequent As traditional launches, seen as a surefire way of cross- pollinating audiences, fostering hype and reconfiguring a brand’s dna. the market for marketing contra refuses to contract. Let’s map out the trend and ask, does every ‘x’ leads to treasure?
